1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waterproof connector of a type in which a connector housing has a terminal accommodation chamber sealed with a xe2x80x9cbody of elastic and soft sealing materialxe2x80x9d (hereafter simply called xe2x80x9csoft sealing materialxe2x80x9d), as well as to a fabrication method of the same.
2. Description of Relevant Art
This type of waterproof connector is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 64-63282.
A conventional waterproof connector of the type comprises a connector housing formed with a number of terminal accommodation chambers having a wire draw-out opening or outlet, a number of terminals accommodated in the chambers and connected to electric wires inset through the outlet, and a soft sealing material for sealing the wire outlet of the chambers. The soft sealing material comprises a body of gel, such as of a silicon, filling up gaps between the wires and walls of the outlet, getting in tight-contact with circumferences of the wires and the outlet walls, preventing water drops or droplets from invading the terminal accommodation chambers along wire circumferences and/or outlet walls.
The soft sealing material is inset at a side of the housing where the wires are drawn out. It is kept from falling off, with a retention member engaging with a rear end part of the housing. The sealing material has a plurality of normally close cross-cut slits provided therethrough for the terminals to be guided therealong inside the accommodation chambers, as well as for the wires to be sealed watertight with cut surfaces of the slits contacting thereon. The slits have corresponding positions to the terminal accommodation chambers.
For assemblage, the soft sealing material is first inserted from a rear end opening of the wire outlet and set in the outlet, where it is brought into watertight contact with walls of the outlet, before the retention member is likewise set.
Then, the terminals, which have been attached to the wires in a separate process, are applied at their front ends into rear ends of the cross slits, and are pushed forward through the slits, with forces, so that they are guided toward and fit inside the terminal accommodation chambers and the wires are provided through the sealing material, extending along the slits.
As the terminals are pushed, they scrape off surfaces of the slits in the soft sealing material, carrying scraps of the material inside the terminal accommodation chambers. Such scraps constitute an obstacle to the connection between the above terminals and mating terminals, and increase contact resistances therebetween. Further, scraped surfaces of the slits cause a deteriorated performance of the waterproof connector.
The present invention has been achieved with such points in view.
It therefore is an object of the invention to provide a waterproof connector free of scrapes of a soft sealing material by a terminal, as well as of scraps of the soft sealing material carried in a terminal accommodation chamber.
It also is an object of the invention to provide a method for fabrication of a waterproof connector to be free of scrapes of a soft sealing material by a terminal, as well as of scraps of the soft sealing material carried in a terminal accommodation chamber.
To achieve the object, an aspect of the invention provides a waterproof connector comprising a terminal connected to an electric wire, a housing having a chamber for accommodating the terminal and an opening for passing the electric wire, a soft sealing body for sealing the opening with a sealing configuration thereof, the soft sealing body having an insertion hole for the terminal to be inserted therethrough to the cahmber, and means for deforming the soft sealing body from an initial configuration thereof, where the insertion hole is larger in section than the terminal, to the sealing configuration, where the insertion hole has an identical section to the electric wire.
According to the aspect of the invention, the terminal connected to the electric wire can be inserted to the chamber through the insertion hole which is larger in section than the terminal in the initial configuration of the soft sealing body, without scraping an inside of the insertion hole nor carrying scraps to the chamber, before a deformation of the soft sealing body to the sealing configuration in which the insertion hole has an identical section to the electric wire, so that an effective sealing is achieved around the electric wire, as well as to the opening.
To achieve the object, another aspect of the invention provides a waterproof connector fabrication method comprising the steps of providing a housing having a chamber with an opening, connecting a terminal to an electric wire, providing a soft sealing body with an initial configuration thereof having an insertion hole larger in section than the terminal, inserting the terminal through the insertion hole to the chamber, thereby accommodating the terminal in the chamber with the electric wire passing the opening, and deforming the soft sealing body from the initial configuration thereof to a sealing configuration thereof in which the insertion hole has an identical section to the electric wire, thereby sealing the opening.
According to this aspect also, there can be achieved like effects to that aspect.